


A Baby's Crown 👑

by TerressaWinner



Series: A Bat's Bug [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Attempted Murder, Badass Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Badass Damian Wayne, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Blood and Violence, Crossover, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, I don't really know what else to say..., I'll probably add more tags as I write, I'm Bad At Tagging, Major Character Injury, More characters I can't be bothered to mention, More couples I can't be bothered to mention, Multi, Plagg is also a cat, Pregnancy, Tikki is a cat, adorableness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23752459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerressaWinner/pseuds/TerressaWinner
Summary: A Princess who's smile rivals that of a Goddess. A Prince who's golden hair reflects the sun. A knight who's past haunts him to this day. An attempted assassination doomed to fail. An arranged marriage to prevent a war. A pregnancy that is both a blessing and a curse. A death that awakens a beast. And another that creates a monster.It's 1948 and Marinette battles through the struggles of being a princess as she enters the French castle and her life changes drastically for better or for worse...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Jonathan Samuel Kent, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: A Bat's Bug [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671253
Comments: 11
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the sake of comfort and my story's plot, I have made the characters over the age of 20. However, you may age them however you want.

Locks of blue glinted in the sunlight as a woman made her way towards the stone structure in front of her. Her heels clicked and echoed against the cobblestone path receding the closer she got. She shivered and blew against her crimson mittens, the condensation spreading around them to only disappear. Her curious bluebell eyes peered at the castle studying every intricate detail from the moss to the almost invisible cracks in the wall and from that to the smooth slated blue roof.

"Shall we?" 

The woman turned to the voice next to her and smiled at the maid before responding with a subtle nod. 

The wooden door creaked open and what was once a silent courtyard became clustered with noise as a series of voices spoke.

"Welcome your highness." 

"Would you like a bread roll?"

"My my, you look prettier in person!"

She smiled and waved still unsure how to properly address them in a way befitting a normal princess. When they said they were going to celebrate her moving in, she didn't expect a full on party. I mean floral decorations, food and a ball in the evening? A bit excessive much! Then again, the union between France and China is a pretty big thing.

She was broken out of her thoughts when a guard greeted her, bowing a bit too far down. He indicated for her to follow him.

As she walked down the hallway, she admired the polished wooden floorboards and the egg white walls. The windows sparkled as though they'd just been washed and the ceiling towered high above them. 

She stared at the wooden doors in front of her knowing that they moment they opened, her life would be changed for better or for worse.

"Deep breaths Princess, you're about to meet your Prince Charming."

She turned to the voice next to her. The maid gave her a reassuring smile. 

She returned the smile and lifted her fan to her face before the door opened wide

<><>\--<><>

"Your Highness."

A thump and a groan was heard as a tousle of blonde hair connected with wood.

"Natalie! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me." he looked up, "Ugh why do I even need a canopy? It's just a bed!"

The young woman standing by the large bed turned around to give him some privacy as he crawled out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom. 

"As I have said many times before, this bed will one day be your matrimonial bed and I am sure you would like some privacy when it's your wedding night and you eventually choose to have inter--"

A shout came from the bathroom accompanied by the sound of rushing water, "I get it, I get it!"

"I will be taking my leave now. I'm sure your butlers would like to get you dressed. Today is a very important day after all."

The door slammed shut.

Of course he knew what today was. He grumbled. Don't get him wrong, he didn't have anything against meeting his future wife, the thought of an arranged marriage just didn't sit well with him. Although it my sound silly, the thought of falling in love and conceiving a child in a warm home intrigued him. He was the kind of person who'd hoped from a young age that he'd meet the love of his life. His mother had always told him that the moment he met the perfect one, he would feel it.

But when he'd asked her if she felt it when she met his father, she hesitated and just smiled changing the topic.

His muscles relaxed and he rubbed his exhausted eyes. It was only then that he noticed just how much his head hurt. He groaned. Why on Earth did he let Nino coax him into drinking last night! His memories of last night were hazy but he did remember something about a black cat?

He sighed and twisted the knob on the shower turning it off before making his way out the bathroom to only jump at the sight of the butlers in his room. He scanned the room looking for a certain mop of dark brown hair.

"Looking for me?" a voice came from behind him.

He jumped..again. "Nino! How did you even get in here? Your covered in metal!"

The man smirked, "You were so busy moping in the bathroom you didn't hear us come in."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with."

Nino snickered before whipping the towel off him.

The blonde man quickly covered himself embarrassed.

"Jeez, chill Adrien! We've all got the same thing you do!"

"That doesn't make it any less embarrassing."

\----

A knock came at the door as he adjusted his collar. The door opened to reveal his guard.

Adrien smiled at the dark haired knight, green meeting green. The knight gave only a curt nod before waiting outside to escort him to the throne room.

Nino brushed at a piece of dust and straightened the prince's crown. "Yup! All done!" He gave the man a slight nudge towards the door, "Now, go meet your Cinderella!"

Adrien rolled his eyes as he made his way out of his room. Nino could be so immature sometimes and yet that same immaturity was the thing that he loved the most about his best friend.

He nodded at the knight indicating that he was ready and they made their way towards the throne room.

What was his name again? Ah, yes Damian Wayne. He'd started the job around a month ago when the head guard, Bruce Wayne, recommended him to be his personal knight.

At first, his Father, the King, was quite uneasy about the whole idea but once Damian way tested and proven to have exceptional skill, he was given the position but only after he'd made an oath swearing to protect him with his life if the time ever came. The only thing Adrien really knew about him was that they were the same age and he was really hard to befriend!

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

He was broken out of his thoughts by the knight's deep voice.

Adrien cleared his throat before opening the door and making his way down the red carpet stopping when he reached the steps and greeting his father with a bow.

Gabriel nodded at his son, his face in what seemed to be a permanent frown.

The prince made his way up the steps and sat next to his father. He looked at the empty throne on the other side; his Mother's. She'd died a couple of years ago. No one knew whether it was an assassination, suicide or perhaps some sort of disease, but they did know that when a maid had discovered her body lying on her bed lifeless, she'd looked undeniably peaceful.

The knight, Sir Wayne as everyone else called him, stood by the Prince, his eyes scanning the area carefully and his body prepped for an attack.

The clock ticked as time went by, faint voices echoing through the halls as the staff prepped for the evening ball.

The silence was unbearable. Adrien thanked whatever high authority was up there when a butler entered announcing the Princess' arrival.

He took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It was now or never.

The doors slowly opened to reveal a young woman in red clothing. What was it called again? Oh yeah, a Hanfu.

She was adorned with beautiful bright jewelry and in her hair was a cute little pin. Half her face was covered with a decorated fan and by the crease of her eyes, he could tell she was smiling.

She took a few steps forward before stopping at the steps and bowing, her maid following her.

"You may rise.", The King's voice echoed and bounced off the walls where troops of knights, maids and butlers were stood. "Welcome to France, Princess."

The princess nodded before turning to Adrien and bowing.

His eyebrows furrowed, "Oh, you don't have to--"

"As I'm sure you are aware," his father's voice cutting thorough, "you will be staying with us for the next few months to get accustomed to life in the Palace before wedding my son."

She nodded again. Was she mute?

<><>\--<><>

Marinette took another peek at the Prince. He was cute all right. Although his hair was a bit too perfect; not a strand out of place, what she likes the most were his eyes. She could tell just by one glance that those emerald orbs held curiosity just like her blue ones.

At first, the idea of marrying a total stranger seemed uncomfortable, however, she could tell that he would at least be somewhat fun.

She shivered slightly as she felt another pair of eyes on her. She looked to the left of the Prince and was met with the cold gaze of the knight next to him. He seemed to be taking her in and calculating her every move as though she were a threat. Rude!

She quickly broke the gaze and placed her eyes once more on the King. His frown seemed to darken as he took in her attire. Jeez, was everyone here this rude?

The silence was broken when he spoke. "I will assign one of my maids to escort you to your chambers where you will be changed into a more...suitable attire for the ball tonight."

She nodded again.

You may be wondering why she was nodding so much and hadn't said a word. You see, when she was younger, her parents had told her that when she first met her father-in-law, it was rude to speak. According to Chinese Etiquette, she could only begin speaking to him during the second meeting.

As if in queue, the door opened to reveal a maid, her milk chocolate hair braided into a bun. She bowed before making her way down the carpet stopping next to the princess.

"Your Highness, if you would please follow me."

\----

Marinette nodded at the knight at the door. Sir Lahiffe he'd introduced himself as.

He'd told her that he'd been assigned as her personal guard.

He was quite the charmer and she knew her appointed maid would definitely agree; she'd caught her taking one too many glances at him before they entered the room. They seemed to be well acquainted with each other. Friends perhaps? Or maybe more?

\----

Marinette stared at herself in the mirror. She was stunning! She gave a little twirl and smiled at the maid behind her. The chocolate-haired maid had introduced herself as Alya. She'd said that despite her being assigned as her personal maid, her maid could still stay with her and had also mentioned that once she arrived from the ball, her luggage would be sitting in her room.

She eyed the tiara on her head. It was. A lovely silver and she could tell it had been specially picked out for her, the dark blue jem in the middle identical to the colour of her eyes.

She took this moment to relax. She was going to get married in a few months; that was a pretty big thing for girls her age. Being 24 didn't necessarily make her any less prone to the idea of arranged marriages.

She shut her eyes. Her mother had always told her as a child that when she'd found her true love, she would feel it. When her curious younger self had asked her if she'd felt it with her father, her eyes had glowed and she'd responded with a bright smile and a nod.

The thing is though that when she'd entered the throne room, she had felt it! At first it felt giddy and then it felt like her heart was on fire, but the only problem was that with a room surrounded by people, she hadn't had the chance to figure out just who it was her heart was reacting to so violently.

She sighed.

"Are you ready Princess?"

She nodded. The ball would be starting soon and she would prefer to get to know some of the staff she'd be living with for the next few months. The prince could wait.

First stop? The kitchen of course!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using google translate for any French I don't know so I apologise if anything is wrong.

The kitchen was as crowded as she'd expected it to be; filled with chefs and maids rushing to prep for the evening ball. There were even a few guards there using the opportunity to snag a few bread rolls or eclairs when they could; the only other chance they'd get to eat was after the ball and that would last hours.

The colourful palettes of food intrigued her. They'd even had the decency to prepare a few Chinese snacks like dumplings and green bean cakes. The unmistakable sound of her stomach grumbling for food caught her attention. She looked around meekly hoping no one had heard, but someone had.

A deep laugh managed to escape the noise in the room as a guard sat up from the stool he was sitting on and made his way over. 

"Adorable!" he chuckled.

Marinette flushed. How embarrassing.

He plucked a cheese roll out of a nearby tray and handed it to her. 

Marinette smiled but froze as the bread touched her lips. 

The guard's eyebrow lifted, confusion written on his face.

She lifted the roll to her nose and sniffed it then went on to inspect the crust. With a satisfied nod, she popped the cheesy carb into her mouth and hummed in delight before swallowing.

The guard watched her curiously. 

As she licked the last few crumbs off her fingers, she looked back up to see him watching her.

She flushed under his gaze. "Ah-um I was checking for poison."

He nodded.

She watched as his soft dark hair moved along with his neck motions to only flop when he stopped moving his head. On a closer inspection, he was rather quite handsome. His eyes sparkled resembling an ocean and his skin was only slightly tanned. His years of training had done well for his figure. She wondered if he was as strong as he looked.

"I almost forgot my manners." he bowed and came back up with a smirk. "I am Richard Grayson, but most people call me Dick. I'm sure you've met my younger brother by now, Damian."

 _That_ guy was his brother? Mr I-never-smile-and-glare-at-people-all-day was _his_ brother? 

The corners of her lips lifted up as she plastered a smile on her face covering up the grimace threatening to reveal itself. "Nice to meet you Sir Di--"

Her voice was muffled as a hand shot out from next to her and covered her mouth. Her maid shot a glare towards him before removing her hand just as quickly.

"I don't think your maid likes my name very much." Marinette's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she worried that he'd been offended. But her worries were refuted when he laughed it off and the tension that had managed to worm it's way into her heart broke as she sighed in relief.

"It's okay, it happens a lot. You can just call me Grayson."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Sir Grayson."

"Likewise." he responded.

He turned his attention to the maid indirectly asking for her name. She glared back at him.

"We call her Kiwi."

"Kiwi?" his eyebrow lifted up, "Strange name."

"It's not her real name, it's a nickname."

He opened his mouth wanting to ask but reconsidered and shut it.

Kiwi. She remembered when they'd named her that. It was the same day they'd found her outside the castle walls at night freezing to death. The same night the royal treasury had been broken into.

~ **Few Months Ago** ~

The heavy thud of metal was heard as guards searched the area for the bandits who'd managed to make their way into the treasury undetected before a maid noticed and called for help. Luckily for them, nothing had been stolen but it was obvious they'd been looking for something.

A loud huff was heard as a guard kicked at the stone littering the floor. There was no point looking anymore, they would've escaped by now. The main thing was that no one was injured. He trudged along the stone path picking at the uneven twigs sticking out of the hedges. He stopped as his foot hit something and he backed up.

He narrowed his eyes attempting to focus on the figure in front if him. Was it a dead animal? He picked up a nearby fallen branch and gently prodded it. When it moved, he took a step back.

But when it muttered something, he took a closer look. Was that a girl?

"Hey I found something!" he called.

The sound of rushing feet was heard as a few other guards made there way towards him.

\----

"She's waking up."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open adjusting to the light before they went wide and she shot up.

"Hey, it's okay hun." A smooth voice relaxed her and she looked around.

She seemed to be in a room. 

The undeniable smell of food reached her nose making her salivate.

A bun and a bowl of soup was placed in front of her and she began to eat.

"Why were you outside? Do you remember?" the woman asked.

She muttered the words she'd been ordered to say, "They killed my family and held me captive but I managed to escape."

The maids shared uneasy looks.

"Do you remember your name?"

She shook her head.

The woman sighed but then smiled and held up two pieces of fruit.

"Which one do you want?" she asked.

She pointed towards the Kiwi.

~ **Present** ~

"So Princess." he piped up, "Your dress is lovely, but aren't you worried you're going to ruin it before the ball?"

She chuckled. "This is only part of my dress."

He stared at her. Part? He sighed; women were so confusing and they made _everything_ exhaustingly over-complicated.

A butler squeezed himself past them with a tray of sandwiches. Marinette picked one up and handed it to Dick. He received it with a smile but looked at it confused.

"It's a thank you for the roll and also a parting gift. The kitchen is too busy right now. I'll probably come back tomorrow to familiarise myself with the staff."

He nodded, lifted the sandwich up and took a bite watching as she left.

"Farewell princess! I'll be seeing you at the ball."

<><>\--<><>

Adrien grumbled muttering incoherent words as he filed out his paperwork. The moonlight from the window being out-shined by the light in the room. In a few days, him and the princess were set to oversee the opening of a new hospital and all he could think about was the fact that he'd been assigned to teach her about French customs and he had no idea where to start! 

Damian watched as the prince huffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in utter annoyance. He watched as he went through the paperwork seemingly giving it his full attention, but he knew that his mind was on other things. Such as the princess.

The moment he'd seen her, he knew something was off. She emitted this sort of aura. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but he did know that the moment their eyes met, his muscles tensed and his senses were on high alert. Was she dangerous? She didn't look it, but he knew by now not to judge people by their exterior. The last time he'd done that, he'd cost someone their life.

Ugh, he couldn't take anymore of the Prince's self-moping.

"Perhaps you would like to take a break?"

Adrien looked up surprised that he'd spoken. He rarely spoke! Silence dragged on until he realised that the guard was waiting for an answer. 

"Oh, um yes. I should." He thought before a massive grin found its way onto him face, "Shall we go to the kitchen?"

\----

They knew they'd be getting in the way if they took another step forward. There was barely any room with all the food lying around practically begging to be eaten. Adrien looked around before stuffing a red velvet cake into his mouth. He almost melted into a pile of goop. It was so good! He knew he probably should've checked for poison but even if there was, he'd built a sort of immunity to it due to all the tiny dosages his father had ordered him to take as a child. Even if something was poisoned, he'd survive.

He looked around at all the colourful plates; his eyes stopping at the prawn crackers. They were his favourite Chinese snack as a child and even now he still found them extremely hard to resist. He knew he shouldn't but his legs moved on their own and before he knew it, he was stuffing one into his mouth. He reached for another but was stopped by the presence he felt behind him. He gulped.

He slowly turned around and gave a big smile, "Monsieur la nourriture!" [Literally, 'Mr Food']

The man behind him glared at him, his beefy hands by his side and his Chef's hat slightly askew. "Your Highness, I'm sure you're aware that this food will be served tonight and I know your Father wouldn't like it if he found you sneaking a few snacks in before the main meal."

He nodded and slowly turned around walking away. He really needed to work on his stealth.

Damian watched the Prince as he made his way back. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. 

He moved to escort him back to his office but froze as he felt a familiar aura creeping up on him.

It couldn't be.

No way.

Please say no, please.

"Hey Demon Spawn." 

Damian huffed. It was.

He turned around and was met with the familiar grin of his elder brother.

"Grayson, why are you here." he deadpanned.

The older guard chuckled, "Look around, lots of guards are here!"

Damian gave the man a glare. "You know that's not what I mean."

Dick wiped the grin off his face and now adorned a more serious expression. He lowered his voice as he spoke, "The King called me back because of her."

Damian's eyes widened. "She's here?"

Dick looked around before nodding. "She looking for someone."

"Who?"

"We don't know. Tim's still trying to figure it out."

Damian's eyebrows furrowed. "Have you told Father?"

Before he could respond, the prince's golden hair came into view and he straightened up and bowed.

"Your Highness."

Adrien nodded at the older guard.

He turned back towards Damian and his face brightened up as he remembered the encounter with the Princess. "You'll never believe who I just met!"

Damian's eyes furrowed.

"The Princess!" Dick beamed, "She is so nice! She's like an angel!" He turned towards the prince, "I'm sure you'll love her!"

He turned back towards Damian pointedly staring into his eyes before saying, "But her maid seems a bit uptight." He checked the time, "Ah, it seems I must take my leave now. I will be seeing you both later!" 

With a grin, he left the room leaving Adrien and Damian watching the doorway he'd just left. Damian eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what that warning meant:

Watch the maid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, just to let you know if you thought of it, the chef is not Marinette's father. Tom is the King of china and this chef is just a random chef who also has beefy hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **There are going to be things you would see in the 21st Century or things you wouldn't normally see a royal or maid wearing or using in this book because that's just they way I want to do this.** **Also, I'm using google translate for any french I don't know so I apologise if anything is wrong.**
> 
> [ **Warning** ] A quick warning for those hardcore Daminette shippers. There is going to be Adrinette fluff in this chapter! I am not going to apologise because they are due to be married and so have to find a way to get along either way. The daminette will come slowly but surely.

"Suck it in Princess! Suck it in!"

Marinette held her breath letting out a sigh of relief when she heard the zip reach the top. The maids wiped their foreheads in relief. When they'd chosen her dress, they never expected it to be 2 sizes too small! That damn dressmaker! She turned around and stood as they dabbed her face with makeup; a little bb cream, a dab of blush, some eyeliner to make the blue of her eyes pop, some red lipstick and finally a 1-2 sprays of setting spray to add the finishing touches. Her hair sat in a cute bun that was held together with a single silver hair stick.

She giggled and looked down at the white cat walking around her feet before it made its way out the room and into the hallway. A maid lifted her head back up allowing her to watch in the mirror as two other maids placed a simple silver earring on either ear and another placed a silver necklace around her neck. The tiara on her head was the final touch and they all marvelled at their masterpiece. She refused the gloves saying that they would make her hands sweaty and feel trapped and if not for Kiwi, she would've gotten away with placing a chopstick in her hair in the place of the hair pin. All she wanted was a little taste of home! What was wrong with that? In fact, she'd been lucky to even be allowed a hair pin in the first place; they would've made her use those bobby pins that pinched at the delicate places on your head and gave you the biggest headache of the century! She shuddered at the thought. She was safe for now, but sooner or later, she would be forced to wear them.

She glanced at the clock and screeched a rather unladylike screech. "I'm going to be late!" All that trouble over one zip had taken so much time away from the little she already had due to her little detour to the Kitchen. 

"No one panic!" Alya came bursting through the door huffing and puffing as though she'd just run a marathon. "All we need to do is get you down 3 hallways, 4 sets of stairs and across a courtyard in-" she glanced at her watch, "10 minutes. No biggie."

<><>\--<><>

"You would like to have you and your band perform here?"

The man nodded. "Yes, it would be great for our publicity."

Adrien sighed. "Mr Couffaine, I sincerely apologise, however you should know by now that even if I did approve, my Father would have to as well. Until my coronation, he is still the King."

The man with black hair and blue dyed tips sighed. "Of co--"

Adrien's brow furrowed as he stopped talking and instead focused his attention on something behind him. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Now that he thought of it, the whole room was silent. He turned around wandering what on Earth could possibly--Oh. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the woman coming down the steps. Her hair shone in the light and her dress...the dress sparkled with every move she made. It looked as though the stars had abandoned their place in the sky and instead chose to make a new spot on her dress. Her tiara was simple and yet so much more; the silver was elegant and refined but the blue gem contrasted it as it stole attention from the rest of the jewellery and yet they still made the perfect team as they along with the rest of her outfit accomplished their mission - to make her look absolutely stunning. It was breath-taking really. No, literally. He couldn't breath because if he did, he knew the moment would be over. She was a goddess and everyone acknowledged that; further proof being in the way they stared at her. The women jealous but at the same time enchanted and the men falling in love with a women they'd only just laid eyes on for the first time. (Sry, I got a bit too -- excited XD) It was when their eyes met that the spell broke. He quickly looked away turning back to the musician behind him and slowly but surely, the ballroom went back to how it was before.

<><>\--<><>

The ceiling was so high. She'd never been to a ball like this before. Plates of food surrounded the room and her eyes narrowed as even more were being brought in. She would never understand why royals got to have more food just because they were a higher authority. The amount of food here could feed dozens of families in China. Marinette pondered whether or not to smuggle some food and have it sent to her parent's castle. They could distribute it to the families who would occasionally set up stalls outside in hopes of a rich person entering or leaving the castle taking interest in their goods and buying a few things.

She shook her head. Even if she did do that, the journey from her to China would take days even with a car and the food would have gone bad by then. Maybe she could give them some of the jewels she'd found in her bedroom drawer. They were technically hers now so she could do whatever she wanted with them. "Whatever you are thinking, you cannot do it Princess." She turned to the voice next to her and smiled at the maid. Her smile practically invisible behind the fan. "You know me too well Kiwi." Kiwi saw the creases in her eyes and smiled back.

The growl from her stomach reminded her of the list she'd made on the way to the ballroom.

1\. Food  
2\. More food  
3\. Socialize  
4\. Dance  
5\. Grab a late night snack and leave - She didn't care whether is was proper for the host to leave last because technically, she wasn't the host. The King was. Your party, your responsibility. Speaking of the King, he was literally everywhere! Yes people! The king was **actually** doing stuff! He wasn't just making an indent in his throne!

First thing's first; food. She looked longingly at the plate of dumplings practically calling her name and made a beeline towards the table before she was stopped by a familiar voice calling her name. 

She spun around and smiled when in actuality she was pissed off that someone had dared to mess with her and the plate of dumpling sitting a few feet away. "Monsieur Grayson! How lovely to meet with you again."

Dick beamed. "And you Princess. I just wanted to say that you look absolutely--" He was broken off by yet another growl from her stomach. He chuckled, "Are you ever not hungry? I wanted to tell you that you look absolutely dashing! I would've considered taking you to be my bride if I were not already married and if you weren't engaged to the Prince." 

"Oh? You're married?"

He nodded. "Yes. Her name is Barbara. Unfortunately she couldn't make it today, however, I can make some arrangements for her you to meet her."

"I would love to." She glanced at the table. "Now if you would excuse me, I have some well-needed business to attend to."

He smiled. "Of course, I know by now never to keep a hungry lady waiting."

She took off back towards the table and sighed when she reached it and placed a warm one in her mouth. So good! She reached for another one before she stopped when she realised Kiwi wasn't eating. "Are you not hungry?" The woman shook her head. "I ate a while ago." 

She turned her whole body to the woman. "You know, you don't have to stay by my side the whole time! Go have fun! Make some friends!"

Kiwi frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. "But Princess--"

Marinette held her hand up. "I'm not taking no for an answer! It's your life, not mine. So you get to choose what you want to do with it. And don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been eyeing those other maids over there. I can tell you're bugging to go and talk to them."

Kiwi sighed. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Marinette smiled as she watched her friend walk away and disappear into the crowd. She took another dumpling before scanning the table for another delicacy. 

"I must recommend the Moules Marinières."

She jumped at the voice behind her and turned to the sight of the Prince beaming down at her. He pointed at a plate of what seemed to be black shells. "They-" he continued, "are a french delicacy." She watched as he picked one up and opened the shell to the sight of what looked like yellow meat. He picked it up and popped it in his mouth humming in delight as he chewed it. He picked up another one. "You can also use the shell of an empty one to pick out the meat in another one." She watched as he used the shell of the one he'd just eaten to pick out the yellow meat and popped it into his mouth."

She looked at the mussels and picked one doing what he'd shown her do and he watched as he eyes widened. "These are delicious!" 

He chuckled. "Hence why I recommended them. Or did you think I would give you something absolutely repulsive?" She laughed. 

"Um, where do we put the shells?" He indicated to a plate full of empty shells.

"Now that you've had a taste of our country," he held a hand out, "how would you feel about dancing?"

After food, she was meant to socialize. That just further proved that life had different things in store for her. She smiled. "Of course."

He lifted an eyebrow. "How will you dance with a fan in your hand?" She looked around. Now would be a great time for Kiwi to pop up but this wasn't a corny romance movie where everything went as planned. She whipped the fan away from her face allowing him to see her for the first time and closed it and then proceeded to pull on the hidden string at the bottom and tie it to the hair pin in her hair. He chuckled. "You are one strange Princess." When he saw her eyebrows furrow he corrected himself, "But not in a bad way."

She smirked, "I never said I was normal."

They made their way to the middle of the room where other dancers were - her fan flailing about in her hair and occasionally tapping the side of her head. The room silenced once again as they watched the prince and princess make their way right into the middle of the dance floor. 

"Oh, I forgot to mention something. I can only dance dance traditional Chinese dances. I've never--" she gasped as he pulled her in placing a hand on her waist and guiding her left hand to his shoulder then holding her right hand in his left as he held them up to the side.

"You can just follow my lead." 

Now, it was safe to say that this dance would most likely end with one of the duo having to soak their feet in cool water. Once again, this was **not** a corny romance movie where everything went as planned and the main protagonist happened to have exquisite dancing skills even when they'd never been taught!

The dance started off slow as he took a step backwards and she stumbled forwards almost losing her balance when they'd only just begun. He took a step to the side and then forward and it was then that she realised that they were swaying in a small circle. As he took another step back and she took another forward, he winced. And there it was, the first step on his toes.

She murmured a "désolée" and he replied with a "no problem Princess".

After a few more stumbles and toes stepped on, he let of her waist and spun her around. When she came back to rest with her hand on his shoulder and his on her waist, her head spun and she shook it away. He leaned in and whispered, "Place you left hand on mine Princess." They separated as she placed a hand on his lifted one.

"Now what?" 

He tilted his head to a nearby couple dancing and watched as they walked around with their left hands together and in the air.

As they begun to move, the music got quicker. "I don't know if I can dance at such a quick pace."

"That's alright, we can go at your own pace."

They went in a slow circle as the others sped up laughing as they almost crashed into them.

When the song finally ended (Marinette didn't know if she could take much more of this. It may have looked easy and romantic in the movies, but dancing with heels pinching at your toes was not a fun experience), they bowed and walked off the floor and back into the crowd. 

Marinette opened her mouth to talk but was interrupted by a blur of yellow that seemingly came out of nowhere and then morphed itself into the shape of a young woman. Her hair was a shiny blonde that was held up in a bun similar to Marinette's and she wore a yellow ballgown with black floral patterns around the stem of the dress. Her eyelids were tinted with blue and her ocean blue eyes glanced at Marinette before they made their way back to the man who's arm she was currently clinging onto.

"Adrikins! It's so good to see you again! I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner! Daddy told me about the party too late so I had to hurry and pick a dress! And then I had to wait for them to turn the car around! If I'd been here sooner, we could've danced!"

Marinette watched as Adrien squirmed himself out of her grasp looking rather uncomfortable as he smiled. "H-Hey Chloe!"

The woman beamed up at him. He looked back up to see Marinette watching them. "Princess, this is my cousin, Chloe Bourgeois. Chloe, this is Princess Marine--"

She cut him off as she glared daggers at the women, "I know who she is. Your-." She spat the word out, "fiancée." She forced a smile on her face and held her hand out giving Marinette's a tight squeeze before she leaned in and whispered, "I will make your life a living hell." before letting her hand go and pulling herself back. Marinette smirked at the woman, "I would **love** (really big emphasis on the word 'love') to see you try." Chloe let out a screech of annoyance catching a few glances here and there but perked up when the music changed. She turned to Adrien blocking the dark-haired woman out of her sight.

"Would you like to da--" Her question was interrupted by another, deeper voice next to her. 

A tall man with well-defined muscles that stood out in his suit held out his hand and directed his attention to her. "Mlle Bourgeois, would you grant me this dance?"

Chloe huffed. She knew she couldn't turn him down. It would only make her look bad. So instead of further damaging her reputation, she told Adrien to wait for her and placed her hand in his. As they walked off, Marinette was sure she'd heard something along the lines off, "Thanks Kim, you're a life-saver."

When the two were out of sight, he turned back to her. 

"Your cousin seems quite fond of you." He rubber the back of his head - a habit he seemed to do when he was nervous - and chuckled.

"Yeah, she's been like that ever since we were younger. Every now and then, she comes over to visit."

Marinette nodded in understanding. "I'm assuming that means this won't be the last I see of her."

He laughed. "When we get married, you'll see her pretty much every few weeks!" His laughter died down and she stared at him. They had yet to actually discuss their marriage. They'd both been holding back. Unfortunately, there was no sudden intervention to quickly change the topic and get them both out of their misery. The awkward silence was broken when he sighed and spoke, "May I ask you something Princess?"

Marinette nodded.

He rubbed at the back of his head again and furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you actually want to marry me?"

Marinette sighed. "Would you get offended if I told you the truth?"

He shook his head.

"No." She paused before continuing, "I mean there's nothing wrong with you. It's just that we've barely just met and we haven't even gotten a chance to further acquaint ourselves yet!"

He nodded and looked down, "Yes. I suppose that's what the few months are for. Unlike others of high-class, my mother believed in love before marriage."

"Where is she?" He looked back up. "Your Mother I mean. I've seen her portraits around the castle but I haven't met her yet in person."

His eyes hardened, "She passed away a few years ago."

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the every-so-joyful prince and now saw despair and loneliness etched into his face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

He shook his head, "No it's okay. Not many people do. Everyone just assumes she's bedridden. We held a private burial for her. My father wouldn't even allow anyone to open the casket because it would only remind him of the fact that he'd just lost the best thing that ever happened to him."

She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted yet again by the two figures she saw walking up to them and beaming as two proud parent would. And there was the well-needed intervention! When life gave you over-talkative parents, you used them as a distraction. 

"Maman! Papa! You made it!"

She moved in to hug her parents but was stopped by the hand held up by her mother indicating for her to stop right where she was. Sabine tutted and pulled the fan out of her hair then handed it back to the owner. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! What have I told you about putting your fan in your hair! You just need to get a little purse to put it in! What about the one I gave you with the earrings for your birthday!"

Marinette smiled as she bore the scolding she'd gotten from her mother that she somehow missed. She unfolded the fan and placed it back up to her mouth.

"Are you happy now?"

Sabine sighed shaking her head. Just where had she gotten such an ill-mannered daughter? Her features then lit up and she replied, "Of course!" She pulled her daughter into a hug. "Oh, how I've missed you my little dumpling and it's not even been a day! I honestly don't know how I'm going to manage without you!"

Marinette giggled. "You know you can come and visit me. Or you could send a letter or call."

Sabine separated the hug. "I know, I know!" It's just that we've been dealing with a couple of things back at home."

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed, "Is something wrong?"

Sabine hesitated before she answered. 'It's okay my sweet potato. It's only a few minor affairs and it doesn't concern you."

Marinette's eyes narrowed. She could tell her mother was lying but instead of calling her out, she turned to where Adrien and her father were stood talking.

"You look tired." She turned back around at her Mother's voice.

"You noticed?"

Sabine gave her a knowing look. "All that makeup doesn't fool me. Besides, when you're tired, you slouch."

Marinette straightened up. Sabine laughed. "Alright, alright. Off to bed with you!"

Marinette shook her head in protest - this would be the last time she saw her Mother in a while and she wanted to make it last - but she knew that Sabine Cheng always got her way. And not only because she was the Queen of China.

They made their way over to the two men.

"Your Highness, could you please escort my daughter to her bedchamber. It's awfully dark and I don't want her getting lost. "

Adrien nodded. "Of course."

He would've held his arm out for her, but he didn't want to go too far for their first day together. He didn't want to seem to desperate for them to get along.

Where there was Marinette, there was Kiwi. Where there was Adrien, there was Damian and Nino . And where there was Nino, there was Alya. The Courtyard was cold and if you looked close enough from a bird's eye view, you could just about make out the formation they were in; two in front (Adrien and Marinette), two in the middle (Kiwi and Damian) and two in the back (Nino and Alya). 

She shivered. But the good kind of shiver. She liked the feeling of the cool air on her skin compared to the stuffy ballroom they'd just been in. The shrubbery and plants were impressive and the trees stood tall covered in red, orange and yellow proving that they were ready to shed themselves for the upcoming winter.

\----

The hallway was so much more bigger when there weren't maids and guards loitering around. Moonlight shone in through the window lighting their pathway up. Alya and Nino were busy whispering about goodness knows what and Damian and Kiwi had nothing to say. Marinette could feel Adrien's eyes on her. 

"Is there something wrong?" She couldn't take it anymore. She had to know.

"Why do you always cover your face with that fan?"

She stopped walking making everyone else pause as well and drawing the attention of the flirting maid and guard and turned to him. Where should she start? So many facts to tell him. Best to start somewhere.

"There are many reasons. One being to protect a woman's face against the glare and heat of a fire. Another being the fan language." Before he could ask what that was, she continued, "The fan language is what you could call a sort of secret code. It consists of over a dozen moves." She pulled the fan down covering her bottom lip and spread it out. "This is 'I'm single'" She pulled the fan a bit lower and twisted it left and right. "This is 'Meet me outside'." She lifted the fan up to the bottom of her eyes. "This is 'Follow me'." She put the fan back to the position she always did; covering her mouth and nose but not too close to her eyes to suggest anything. "There are many more where that came from. Many women use it as a sort of secret language to men so as not to grab too much unwanted attention." 

She carried on walking and the group carried on too. A 'meow' was heard in front of them catching their attention to a dark corner in the hallway where two cats lay sat next to each other. A pair of green eyes and another of blue stared at the humans as they walked closer. The cats stepped out of the dark and walked to them stopping in front and then turning to each other and walking in what seemed to be a tight circle. When black met white, Marinette laughed. 

"Yin and Yang."

\----

As Marinette took a step into her room, Tikki following next to her, she turned around and addressed the man waiting for her to enter before he left. "You don't to call me 'Princess' all the time."

He smiled. "What do you want me to call you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, literally anything else? You don't need to remind me of my status every time you address me."

He grinned. Was that? No..it couldn't be. A Cheshire cat grin! (Less creepy of course.) He bowed. "Of course. M'lady."

She bid him and the others a farewell as she went into her room leaving Nino at his spot next to her door. She still had yet to meet the other guard who would be alternating posts between him and Nino. She shut the door and turned around to the sight of the rest of her luggage sitting on the floor. She moved to the cupboard where she'd placed the few things she'd brought with her that morning and pulled out a pink box opening it to reveal another smaller one where the earrings lay perched and a pink purse with white spots. She pulled it out and grabbed her sewing kit from one of her luggage boxes then sat down on the bed. She would change out of her dress and clean her face of the makeup later. Besides, if she were going to use it, she may as well make it look nice. She took out the black thread lining it with the hole in the needle and pulling it through then started with the cursive 'M' she planned on adding to the bottom left of the purse. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated. 

It was only then that she realised she'd forgotten her late night snack.


	4. Updating

So recently, I've been having . . . let's just say 'problems' which will unfortunately make it harder to read and write and understand things (also school is starting) and so my update times will be a lot slower.

Thanks for reading.


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